Range apparatus



Jan. 12, 1954 c. A. WILCOX 2,665,458

RANGE APPARATUS Filed July 10, 1951 2 Sheets-Sheet l FIGI.

WITNE SE51 INVENTOR FIG. 2.

a 1.1 Charles A. Wilcox BY Z Z ATTORNEY 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 Charles A. Wilcox g 2W ATTORNEY C. A. WILCOX RANGE APPARATUS Jan. 12, 1954 Filed July 10, 1951 WITNESSES:

Patented Jan. 12, 1954 RANGE APPARATUS.

Charles A. Wilcox,,Mansfield, Ohio, asslgnor to Westinghouse Electric Corporation, East Pittsburgh, Pa., a corporation of Pennsylvania Application July 10, 1951, Serial No. 236,025 3 Claims. (01. 20-69) This invention relates toa range construction, more particularly to a door sealing arrangement for a range oven.

In order to provide an oven having good cooking performance, it is necessary to provide a good fit between the oven liner and the door. Since, in a present construction, the fit between the metal oven and the metal door depends on the accuracy of the door and oven fabrication, the use of even slightly warped doors and oven liners will result in unpredictable gaps between the oven liner and the door. With such a construction, the door gaps will vary from range to range in production, with the result that uniformity of performance between ovens in different ranges is diiiicult to attain.

Also, expansion and contraction of the oven liner during use will alter the fit of the door against the liner and result in uneven heating of the oven.

In view of the above, it is an object of the invention to provide a sealing arrangement for an oven in which positive closure is efiected, regardless of expansion and distortion in the oven liner during cooking.

It is another object of the invention to provide a range oven sealing arrangement which is economical in cost, which lends itself to rapid present day production techniques and which will have a long useful life.

It is a more specific object of my invention to provide a resilient sealing arrangement for an oven which may be incorporated in the current ranges without modification of the ranges.

A further object is to provide an arrangement whereby a tubular gasket may be attached to the curved corner portions of an oven liner in a smooth and pleasing manner.

These and other objects are effected by my invention as will be apparent from the following description and claims taken in connection with the accompanying drawings, forming a part of this application, in which:

Fig. 1 is a fragmentary perspectiv view of an electric range incorporating my improved oven sealing arrangement;

Fig. 2 is a fragmentary section taken on line IIII of Fig. 1;

Fig. 3 is a view similar to Fig. 2 but showing the oven door in the closed position;

Fig. 4 is a view showing the gasket asembly prior to installation;

Fig. 5 is a fragmentary front elevation of the oven liner with portions of the gasket cut away to show details of construction; and

Fig. 6 is a greatly enlarged perspectiv view of the locking clip.

Referring to the drawings in detail, and especially Fig. l, I have shown an electric range having a conventional cooking platform iii supported by a sheet metal body l2. The platform is provided with the usual surface heating units [4 controlled by switches [6. An oven compartment I8, having a cubical oven liner 29 and closed on all sides except the front, is disposed in the body l2 and is provided with a horizontally pivoted door 22 adapted to close the opening.

A resilient tubular gasket 24 surrounds the front opening in the oven liner 2!] and is adapted to be abutted and compressed by the door 22, in the closed position, to seal the oven compartment [8 against entranc of air at the door.

As shown in Figs. 2, 3 and 5, the oven liner 2!] has an outwardly disposed peripheral flange 25 of L shape having a portion 26 disposed in the plane of the opening in the oven liner and a portion 2'! bent rearwardly. The range body [2 has a front panel portion 28 having a rectangular opening 30 defined by a rearwardly turned flange 32. The oven liner 2B is nested within the panel opening 30 with its flange 25 in substantial rearward abutment with'the front panel 28.

The tubular gasket 24 is threaded on to a wire frame 34 of rectangular shape, substantially conforming to the outer periphery of the oven liner flange 25, and is applied to the liner flange 25 by a plurality of S-shaped spring clips 36' in a manner which will subsequently b described.

As best shown in Fig. 6, the spring clip 36 has a U-shaped portion 38 formed by a pair of slightly converging side portions at and 42 joined by a connecting portion 43. The side portion .2 is extended into a hook portion 4i extending in the opposite direction from the side portion 10 and is provided with a pointed tip 46.

The spring clips are applied to: the gasket 24 at spaced intervals, the pointed tip to piercing the gasket adjacent the wire frame 34 and guiding the hook portion 44 into resilient engagement with the frame and the gasket. The U- shaped portion38 resiliently engages the portion 21 0f the liner flange and thereby clamps the gasket and wire frame to the liner flange.

The front panel portion 28 is provided with a raised bead portion 48 which is preferably continuous and surrounds the rectangular opening 30, thereby forming with the portion 27 of the liner flange, a groove 5|] of constant width within which the gasket 24 is nested. The width of the groove 50 is narrower than the diameter of the gasket and serves to distort the cross section of the gasket into a generally elliptical form.

As shown in Fig. 5, the oven liner flange has curved corner portions 52. The wire frame M is provided with similarly located corner portions 54 having a smaller radius of curvature than the outer edge of the corner portions 52. A crescent-shaped gap is thus'provided between each corner portion 52 and the corresponding corner portion 54 which permits the gasket 24 to follow the contour of the corner portion 52 without bunching or kinking, thereby presenting a smooth and neat appearanceto the observer and reducing the possibility of fraying while in use. The bead 48 has curved corner portions 58 having the same center of curvature as the flange corner portions 52, thereby main taining the constant width of the groove 58 and maintaining the uniform elliptical cross section of the gasket at the corners.

In production assembly, the gasket 24, the Wire frame 34 and the spring clips 3&3 are pro-assembled into a unitary self-supporting sub-assembly termed a gasket assembly 54) (shown in Fig. 4). The tubular gasket 2 is preferably com posed of woven glass fibers to withstand baking temperature and is cut to a predetermined length. The wire frame 34 is also cut to length and bent into rectangular shape with its ends preferably spaced a small distance from each other. The gasket is then threaded onto the wire frame with one end of the gasket overlapping the other end. The overlapping connection of the gasket is spaced from the ends of the wire. The spring clips 38 are individually applied by forcing. the pointed tip 46 through the gasket. The hook portion A i is snapped into position and grips the frame and a portion of the gasket wall firmly within its bight. Although any number of clips may be utilized, I prefer to use nine clips, namely, two on each side and top of the rectangular frame and three on the bottom side. The three clips on the bottom side provide additional desired support to the ends of the frame. The gasket assembly 59, thus formed, is substantially rigid and self-supporting and since the clips are sprung into position, they will be retained in proper position on the assembly, even though roughly handled.

The gasket assembly 6b is applied to the oven liner flange 25 after the oven liner is partially inserted in the body panel opening 38. This operation is accomplished by pushing the U- shaped portions 3% of the clips onto the portion 27 of the liner flange. The clips are held to the flange by spring action.

The oven liner 2% is then fully inserted into the opening 353 to a depth determined by abutment of the liner flange with the body panel 28. When the oven liner is so positioned, the clips 36 are held between the portion 2? of the liner flange and the body panel, thus further securing the gasket assembly Bil against subsequent accidental dislodgment.

A gasket arrangement for a range oven is thereby provided, which as shown in Fig. 3, will provide an airtight seal between the door 22 and the oven liner flange 25 and prevent leakage of air into the oven compartment 8, regardless of minor irregularities or warpage in the oven door.

The gasket arrangement facilitates assembly to the oven liner, since the gasket assembly may be applied to the liner as a completed unit. The wire frame 3d serves a dual purpose; first, it renders the gasket sub-assembly rigid and self-supporting during assembly operations and second, it retains the gasket 24 against the oven liner flange 25 after assembly.

Also, the neatness and smoothness of the gasket fit at the corners is attained in a simple and expeditious manner by the curved corner portions 54 of the wire frame.

Since the gasket sealing arrangement thus provided is substantially free of kinks and irregularities, the compressive action of the door 22 will compress the gasket substantially uniformly, thereby avoiding fraying of the woven glass fibers in the gasket.

Any uneven expansion of the oven liner 2% will be-absorbed by the gasket without impairment of the seal, since the gasket is suihciently flexible to yield under moderate pressures.

The oven door may be closed quietly without the noise attendant with a metal to metal seal, thereby imparting an effect of sturdiness and solidity of construction to the user.

While I have shown my invention in but one form, it will be obvious to those skilled in the art that it is not so limited, but is susceptible of various changes and modifications without departing from the spirit thereof.

What I claim is:

1. An oven construction including a front panel, an oven liner disposed in said panel, said even liner having an opening, an outwardly disposed peripheral flange surrounding said opening, said flange having a rearwardly extending peripheral portion in abutment with said panel, a door adapted to close said opening, a flexible tubular gasket surrounding said flange, said gasket being compressible by said door to seal said opening, a wire frame extending lon itudinally within said gasket and supporting the same, and a plurality of clips disposed in spaced relation with each other, each of said clips having. 9, first bent portion extending into said gasket and gripping said frame and a second bent portion engaging said flange and being held between said panel and said flange, said gasket and said frame being thereby securely fastened to said flange.

2. The structure described in claim 1 in which said peripheral portion of said flange defines a rectangle having curved corner portions and said wire frame has curved corner portions as to and of smaller radius than the outer periphery of the curved corner portions, thereby preventing kinking of said gasket at said corner portions.

3 A closure structure including a front panel, a llner disposed in said panel, said liner having an opening, an outwardly extendin peripheral flange surrounding said opening, said nge havinga rearwardly extending outer edge portion fining a rectangle with straight sides and curved corner portions, said outer edge portion or said flange being in substantial abutmentwith said panel, a door for closing said opening a flexible tubular gasket surrounding said flange and embracing said outer edge portion of said flange, a wire frame disposed longitudinally within said gasket and supporting the same, and means for fastening said gasket to panel said fast ening means comprising a member ex tending into said gasket and gripping said frame, said name being of substantially the same shape as said outer edge portion of said flange and ha mg straight sides in close proximity to the straight sides of'said. outer edge portion of said flange and also having curved corner portions diverging progressively further from the curved 5 corner portions of the outer edge portion of said flange toward the center of the corner portions and forming a gap therewith, whereby said gasket closely embraces the outer edge of said flange with substantially no kinking at the curved corner portions.

CHARLES A. WILCOX.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date 1,821,964 Cutting Sept. 8, 1931 Number Number Name Date Lewis Sept. 13, 1938 Churchill Nov. 21, 1939 Reynolds et a1. Oct. 29, 1940 Matheny Aug. 24, 1943 I-Iennessy Jan. 18, 1944 Hennessy Aug. 6, 1946 Pierson June 12, 1951 FOREIGN PATENTS Country I Date Great Britain July 20, 1944 

